Conventionally, as is represented by an optical disc such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) and a hard disc, an information storage medium having a large capacity is being developed. For example, in the case of a CD (Compact Disk), an available data storage capacity is 650 MB, but in the case of the DVD, 4.7 GB data can be stored on one side thereof, and a further high-density optical disc which uses blue laser is also being developed. Further, with regard to the hard disc, a 1.8 inch disc having a data capacity of 40 GB has also been developed, which is used as a portable type information storage medium to be mounted in a portable music reproduction device and the like.
On the other hand, various types of irreversible voice compression storage methods, as represented by MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer-3), have been developed recently, and data of musical compositions may be stored by using the storage methods. For example, in the case where data of a 5-minute musical composition is stored by using MP3 of 128 kbps, a data amount thereof will be approximately 5 MB. Here, in the case of the data of the 5-minute musical composition in a CD (44.1 kHz/16 bits/2 ch), a data amount thereof will be approximately 50 MB, and if the irreversible voice compression method such as the MP3 is used, the data amount will be reduced by approximately a tenth. As a result, it becomes possible to store a large amount of data of the musical compositions on the information storage medium such as the optical disc, and consequently a user can reproduce a musical composition by selecting from the data of the musical compositions stored in large quantities.
As a method of performing continuous reproduction by selecting from a plurality of musical compositions, there is a method where a one-by-one selection of desired musical compositions by the user, a selection using bibliographic information such as an artist name and a category name, a selection based on a play list which describes the plurality of the musical compositions and is previously edited by the user, or a random selection which causes a reproduction device to select the musical compositions at random, etc. is performed, and then data of a selected musical composition is reproduced continuously. Further, a method is disclosed (for example, patent document 1), where a feature level and the bibliographic information of each of the plurality of the musical compositions are extracted previously, and if a selection condition relating to an order of the musical compositions to be reproduced by the user is inputted, the data of the musical composition having the feature level and the bibliographic information, which satisfy the selection condition, assigned thereto is selected.
[Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-73041
However, according to an conventional selection method as above described, it is difficult for a user, when selecting from a plurality of the musical compositions and reproducing a piece of music, to reproduce only a musical composition which is desired to be listened to, without effort. For example, in the case of a selection based on a play list previously prepared or a random selection, it is difficult for the user to reproduce only the musical composition which is desired to be listened to at an actual moment. Further, it requires large efforts for the user to select the musical compositions one by one from a large amount of data of stored musical compositions, and thus it is not realistic in a circumstance where the user has difficulty with a complicated operation, such as a case of a vehicle-installed device, or where an input interface has restrictions, such as a case of a portable-type music reproduction device. Further, even in the case of the selection method disclosed in the above-described patent document 1, the user is required to input a selection condition which indicates an order of the musical compositions, thereby requiring large efforts as with a case of selecting the musical compositions one by one.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a music reproduction device, a method, a storage medium, and an integrated circuit which select, from the plurality of the musical compositions, the user's desired musical composition with a simple operation.
To achieve the above object, the present invention has aspects as described below.
A first aspect is a music reproduction device for reproducing data of a musical composition selected from a plurality of musical compositions. The music reproduction device comprises a musical composition data storage section, an attribute information storage section, a reproduction section, an operational information obtaining section, and a control section. The music composition data storage section stores data of the plurality of the musical compositions. The attribute information storage section stores attribute information, which is information relating to the data of the musical composition, on each of the data of the plurality of the musical compositions which are stored on the musical composition data storage section. The reproduction section reproduces the data of the musical composition stored on the musical composition data storage section. The operational information obtaining section obtains operational information corresponding to a user's operation which represents an instruction on an action of the reproducing section. The control section selects the data of the musical composition to be reproduced by the reproducing section. The control section includes a selection condition calculation section. The selection condition calculation section changes relative merits of the attribute information relating to the data of the musical composition in accordance with details of the operational information obtained by the operational information obtaining section during the data of the musical composition being reproduced by the reproducing section, and then calculates, based on the relative merits of the attribute information, a condition for selecting the data of the musical composition to be reproduced by the reproduced section. Note that the operational information, which corresponds to a user's operation and represents an instruction on an action of the reproducing section, includes a skip operation which performs reproduction by skipping a reproduced musical composition, a repeat operation which performs the reproduction by repeating the reproduced musical composition, a rewinding operation which performs the reproduction by rewinding the reproduced musical composition, a fast-forward operation which performs the reproduction by fast-forwarding the reproduced musical composition, and a pause operation which suspends the reproduction of the reproduced musical composition, etc.
A second aspect is according to the above-described first aspect and the music reproduction device further comprises a clock section. The clock section measures an elapsed time from a reproduction start time point at which the reproduction section reproduces the data of the musical composition. The selection condition calculation section changes, when the operational information obtaining section obtains the operational information during the data of the musical composition being reproduced by the reproduction section, the relative merits of the attribute information relating to the data of the musical composition in accordance with the details of the operational information and the elapsed time when the operational information is obtained.
A third aspect is according to the above-described second aspect, and the selection condition calculation section changes, when the operational information obtaining section obtains the operational information during the data of the musical composition being reproduced by the reproduction section, the relative merits of the attribute information relating to the data of the musical composition in accordance with a feature level which has changed immediately before an obtaining time point of the operational information during the data of the musical composition being reproduced.
A fourth aspect is according to the above-described third aspect, and the selection condition calculation section changes, in the case where when the operational information obtaining section obtains the operational information during the data of the musical composition being reproduced by the reproduction section, the obtaining time point of the operational information during the data of the musical composition being reproduced is within a predetermined time from the reproduction start time point of the data of the musical composition, the relative merits of the attribute information relating to the data of the musical composition in accordance with the feature level which has changed immediately before the obtaining time point of the operational information.
A fifth aspect is according to the above-described first aspect, and the selection condition calculation section includes a weighting factor setting section. The weighting factor setting section sets a weighting factor which numerically represents the relative merits of the attribute information and manages the relative merits of the attribute information. The selection condition calculation section calculates the condition by regarding the data of the musical composition having the attribute information, whose weighting factor set by the weighting factor setting section is equal to or more than a first threshold, stored on the attribute information storage section, as a selection target to be reproduced by the reproduction section.
A sixth aspect is according to the above-described fifth aspect, and the selection condition calculation section calculates the condition by regarding the data of the musical composition having the attribute information, whose weighting factor set by the weighting factor setting section is equal to or more than the first threshold, stored in the attribute information storage section, as the selection target to be reproduced by the reproduction section, and regarding the data of the musical composition having the attribute information, whose weighting factor set by the weighting factor setting section is equal to or less than a second threshold which is less than the first threshold, stored in the attribute information storage section as a non-selection target not to be reproduced by the reproduction section.
A seventh aspect is according to the above-described fifth aspect, and in the case where the operational information obtained by the operational information obtaining section is an instruction of skipping the data of the musical composition being reproduced by the reproduction section, the selection condition calculation section lowers the weighting factor set, with respect to the attribute information relating to the data of the musical composition, by the weighting factor setting section.
An eighth aspect is according to the above-described fifth aspect, and in the case where the operational information obtaining section does not obtain the operational information during the data of the musical composition being reproduced by reproduction section, or in the case where an obtaining time point of the operational information during the data of the musical composition being reproduced exceeds a predetermined time from a reproduction start time point of the data of the musical composition, the selection condition calculation section raises the weighting factor set, with respect to the attribute information relating to the data of the musical composition, by the weighting factor setting section.
A ninth aspect is according to the above-described first aspect, and the control section further includes a resetting determining section. The resetting determining section provides, in the case where, when the reproduction section is sequentially reproducing the data of the musical composition selected based on the condition calculated by the selection condition calculation section, a ratio of a number of the musical compositions which have obtained the operational information during the reproduction to a number of reproduced musical compositions is equal to or more than a predetermined ratio, an instruction of calculating the condition again to the selection condition calculation section.
A tenth aspect is according to the above-described first aspect, and the attribute information comprises a musical feature level, a physical feature level, mapping information and bibliographic information. The musical feature level is at least one selected from a group of a tempo, a beat, tonality, a musical composition structure, a chord, tone quality, and a note number of a musical composition. The physical feature level is at least one selected from a group of a frequency of the musical composition, a music signal power level, and voice quality of a vocalist. The mapping information is derived by using the musical feature level, the physical feature level, and a mapping function. The bibliographic information is at least one selected from a group of an artist name, a musical composition title, a category name, lyrics, time of creation, a label, an adaptor, a composer, and a lyric writer.
An eleventh aspect is according to the above-described first aspect, and the music reproduction device further comprises a display control section. The display control section displays information on a display screen. The display control section displays, on the display screen, musical composition information, selection condition information, and play list information. The musical composition information represents the data of the musical composition being reproduced by the reproduction section. The selection condition information represents a selection condition calculated by the selection condition calculation section. The play list information represents the data of the musical composition expected to be selected based on the selection condition. The play list information is revised each time the selection condition calculation section calculates the selection condition.
A twelfth aspect is a music reproduction method for reproducing data of a musical composition selected from a plurality of musical compositions stored on a storage section. The music reproduction method comprises an attribute information storing step, a reproducing step, an operational information obtaining step, and a controlling step. The attribute information storing step stores attribute information, which is information relating to the data of the musical composition, on each of data of the plurality of the musical compositions stored on the storage section. The reproducing step reproduces the data of the musical composition stored on the storage section. The operational information obtaining step obtains operational information corresponding to a user's operation which represents an instruction on an action of the reproducing step. The controlling step selects the data of the musical composition to be reproduced by the reproducing step. The controlling step includes a selection condition calculation step. The selection condition calculation step changes relative merits of the attribute information relating to the data of the musical composition in accordance with details of the operational information obtained by the operational information obtaining step during the data of the musical composition being reproduced by the reproducing step, and then calculates, based on the relative merits of the attribute information, a condition for selecting the data of the musical composition to be reproduced by the reproduction step.
A thirteenth aspect is a music reproduction program executable by a computer of a device for reproducing data of a musical composition selected from a plurality of musical compositions stored on a storage section and a storage medium having the same stored thereon. The storage medium having the music reproduction program stored thereon causes the computer to execute an attribute information storing step, a reproducing step, an operational information obtaining step, and a controlling step. The attribute information storing step stores attribute information, which is information relating to the data of the musical composition, on each of data of the plurality of the musical compositions stored on the storage section. The reproducing step reproduces the data of the musical composition stored on the storage section. The operational information obtaining step obtains operational information corresponding to a user's operation which represents an instruction on an action of the reproducing step. The controlling step selects the data of the musical composition to be reproduced by the reproducing step. The controlling step includes a selection condition calculation step. The selection condition calculation step changes relative merits of the attribute information relating to the data of the musical composition in accordance with details of the operational information obtained by the operational information obtaining step during the data of the musical composition being reproduced by the reproducing step, and then calculates, based on the relative merits of the attribute information, a condition for selecting the data of the musical composition to be reproduced by the reproducing step.
A fourteenth aspect is an integrated circuit which is used in a music reproduction device. The music reproduction device includes a musical composition data storage section and an attribute information storage section. The musical composition data storage section stores data of a plurality of musical compositions. The attribute information storage section stores attribute information, which is information relating to the data of the musical composition, on data of each of the plurality of the musical compositions stored on the musical composition data storage section. The integrated circuit comprises a reproduction section, an operational information obtaining section, and a control section. The reproduction section reproduces the data of the musical composition stored on the musical composition data storage section. The operational information obtaining section obtains operational information corresponding to a user's operation which represents an instruction on an action of the reproduction section. The control section selects the data of the musical composition to be reproduced by the reproduction section. The control section includes a selection condition calculation section. The selection condition calculation section changes relative merits of the attribute information relating to the data of the musical composition in accordance with details of the operational information obtained by the operational information obtaining section during the data of the musical composition being reproduced by the reproduction section, and then calculates, based on the relative merits of the attribute information, a condition for selecting the data of the musical composition to be reproduced by the reproduction section.
According to the above-described first aspect, the relative merits of the attribute information which is the information relating to the data of the musical composition is changed based on the user's operational information, and a selection is performed based on the relative merits of the attribute information, whereby it is possible to reproduce only a musical composition desired to be listened to with the user's simple operation.
According to the above-described second aspect, in accordance with the details of the operation performed, with respect to the musical composition to be reproduced, by the user and timing thereof, an operational intent is assumed, whether or not the user likes the musical composition is determined, and then the relative merits of the attribute information is changed. For example, in the case where the user performs the skip operation at a start time point or in a former half part of the reproduced musical composition, it can be determined that the user does not like the musical composition. On the other hand, in the case where the same skip operation is performed at an end part of the reproduced musical composition, it can be assumed that the user likes the musical composition but desires to skip an ending accompaniment, and thus an accurate user preference can be reflected on the selection.
According to the above-described third aspect, if there is the feature level which has changed during reproduction, such as a change in which a vocal sound starts to be reproduced and a change in a tempo, and the user performs any operation immediately after the change, it can be determined that the feature level which has changed is a factor which the user does not like or that the feature level the user likes has finished. Therefore, by changing the relative merits of the attribute information in accordance with the change in the feature level of the reproduced musical composition, a further accurate user preference can be reflected on the selection.
According to the fourth aspect, an operation performed within the predetermined time from the reproduction start time point is reflected on the relative merits of the attribute information, whereby difference in the operational intent between at the start time point or in the former half part and in the ending part of the reproduced musical composition can be reflected appropriately.
According to the fifth aspect, the musical composition having the attribution information, whose weighting factors is equal to or more than the first threshold, assigned thereto is regarded as the selection target, whereby it is possible to select preferentially a musical composition containing elements liked by the user.
According to the sixth aspect, the musical compositions remaining after subtracting the musical compositions, each having the attribution information, whose weighting factor is equal to or less than the second threshold, assigned thereto, from the musical compositions, each having the attribution information, whose weighting factor is equal to or more than the first threshold, assigned thereto, are selection targets, whereby it is possible to perform the selection by subtracting the musical compositions including elements disliked by the user from the musical compositions including the elements liked by the user.
According to the seventh aspect, in accordance with the user's skip operation with respect to the reproduced musical composition, it is considered that the user does not like such a musical composition that satisfies the attribute information contained in the musical composition with respect to which the skip operation is performed, whereby the selection target can be determined.
According to the eighth aspect, in the case where the user reproduces the reproduced musical composition for at least the predetermined time or longer, it is considered that the user likes such a musical composition that satisfies the attribute information included therein, whereby the selection target can be determined.
According to the ninth aspect, the selection condition is reset, not based on only one operation, but when a rate of operation performed reaches a predetermined rate level or higher. For example, the user may performs the skip operation with respect to a given musical composition in spite of being in favor with the selection based on the current selection condition, and the current selection condition will be continuously applied to such an isolated operation. Therefore, there is no case where the selection condition is changed frequently contrary to the user's intention, whereby it is possible to perform a stable selection.
According to the tenth aspect, only musical compositions desired to be listened to can be reproduced, with the user's simple operation, by setting the musical feature level, the physical feature level, the mapping information, and the bibliographic information as elements for calculating the selection condition.
According to the eleventh aspect, the user can check the selection condition currently being calculated. Further, the play list information changes every second in accordance with the change in the selection condition, and thus it is possible to set even quickly the selection condition which the user intends by performing a given operation at timing when the musical composition the user desires to listen to is displayed on the play list.
According to the music reproduction recoding method, the music reproduction program or the storage medium having the same stored thereon, and the integrated circuit used for the music reproduction device of the present invention, the same effects as the above-described musical reproduction device can be obtained.